josh85

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Everything posted by josh85

  1. Hello from Austria. I read this thread and although I got some answers, there are a few on my mind. What will happen to a person that is a convert into the church, without an endowment and all this "stuff". (I know it is not appropriate to use the word "stuff" in relation to all these holy contracts, but I'm a little bit out of words since I'm not a natural English speaker) Where will a person go, that became a member of the church and commits suicide? There is no hell in mormonism, but suicide is a sin, isn't? Is there a chance, that you are punished badly? Or that you will be unhappy in the Spirit World? It would be nice if somebody will answer this question. And the person I'm thinking of does not have a mental illness or is out of his/her mind. Thanks in advance.
  2. Actually I don`t like the idea of fast baptisms. I saw three people who became a member after two or three weeks and after this they weren't "interested" anymore. They also got the Aaronic Priesthood and sometimes I have to ask myself, why everything happens so fast. In my opinion the possibility of fast baptisms is the cause why so many converts leave the church. Many of them don`t know what they are doing or the don`t mean it serious. So I prefer the system of other churches where you have to take classes over a year or so.
  3. I think that they are criminals. They had 48 dogs in their house. Even if they have mental problems, they did probably not have the issues by the time they started to "collect" poor animals. Another thing: How can you be in the position to have so many dogs and not be able to pay tithing, but asking for money from the Church? In my opinion it is a big crime to treat animals like that. The dogs don`t know why they lose their hair or why the don`t have enough to drink. I would ignore these people and call the police. And although they are still members of our church it seemed that they were kind of evil right from the beginning. Like I said: 48 dogs? That is terrible. I have two dogs and I love them so much as if they are my little brothers.
  4. I don´t think that a health problem would be a cause for me not to date or marry a girl. I mean the most important thing is that she is loveable, that she has a beautiful character. And if there are health problems, people have to stick together. I won`t see a problem. I would be proud -if the person is ill or not- to make her happy. For me there are no differences between healthy and ill people. Just differences between people with a good character or a bad character. Hopefully I belong to the "good" side.
  5. Thank you very much for the answers. I already gave a talk in church and my testimony, but I am not a home teacher, but to talk about home teaching, most of the people who join the priesthood classes in my ward are no hometeachers. I don´t know why, but that is how it is. Many of you said that I should talk with my bishop about my desire to get the Melchizedek Priesthood. Should I really do that? It could be a sign that I do not have a lot of patience. Don`t you think that he will talk to me someday around the time I will be a member for nearly a year? I mean, he won´t forget me just because I did not talk to him about the subject. What are these lessons you (LDSVALLEY) talked about: You do not mean the lessons we join every Sunday from 9 am to 10 am? Perhaps I will talk to my bishop if I can join these Priesthood Advancement lessons. I mean it would be a good idea and I would be prepared by the time he thinks I am ready to "get" the Melchisedek Priesthood.
  6. I think first of all you should be happy that you are married and that you probably have a wonderful husband and child. The fact that he is not a member of the church does not mean that he won´t become a member of the church sometime. And if he treats you well, if he loves you, you should be happy and thankful for what you got. If I think about him and his feelings I would say that I would be so sad and hurt if I get to know that my wife is not happy with me, because I am not a Mormon. Perhaps I would become a member of the church because of the wrong causes. (just because I want my wife to be happy and not because I believe in the scriptures) My advice would be: See all his good sides and never forget: To become a member of the church is not somekind of a race. You are already a member and he will see what a good and wonderful person you are and someday he will probably join too. If he won´t it wouldn´t be that terrible, because there are so many good people all over the world who are not members.
  7. Hello, I am a member for a little bit more than six months of the Church. I got the Aaronic Priesthood and was called a priest short after my baptism and I always attended all the Sunday meetings. I also blessed the Sacrament nearly every Sunday. Right now I ask myself the question how long it will take to "get" the Melchizedek Priesthood. Are there any conditions? I mean I follow the words that are written in the scriptures, the word of wisdom, the law of chastity etc. So without being too "proud" of myself I would say that I am definitely worthy. Do you think that it is just a matter of time, so that I will become a Melchizedek priest by the time I am a member for one year? It would be nice if someone answers.
  8. Hello. Thank you very much for your answers again. I won´t serve a mission, because like someone said before, I am in the middle of my university career. And of course I would never ever serve a mission just to marry some girl. ( that would be a strange and desperate action) Another thing is that although I think I'm a good member I'm not such a big missionary. So I don't talk to my friends a lot about the church, gospel etc. @ ehkape: Vielen Dank für deine Antwort. Die hat mir wahrscheinlich am meisten geholfen. Vielleicht schreibe ich dich irgendwann einmal an, da ich in meiner Gemeinde manchmal seltsame Dinge beobachte und die dann falsch einordne, weil ich mit niemandem dort über meine Beobachtungen sprechen kann.
  9. Thanks for the answer. I just read another thread and I will forget that girl. She is just 19 years old and so it is an age she probably will serve a mission. So after I get to know that she is single I would have to find out if she wants to serve a mission. Everything is just so difficult. But thanks to everyone who answered.
  10. Hello again. I talked to this nice girl a lot in the last few weeks during the Sunday meetings. I got to know that she is single and I like her so much, because she is so sweet and also a little bit shy. My problem right now is that she doesn´t visit any YSA-activities. So I am only seeing her on Sundays. I already had dates with girls before I joined the LDS, but I don´t know how to ask her out. Perhaps she was just so nice and friendly because I am new and if I ask her out she will see how much I like her and if she will say "no" it will be very uncomfortable for me to see her every week. The worst thing would be if she will talk to other members about me asking her out. Do you think that I should forget her and find another LDS-girl that does not belong to my home community? Sometimes I think to much, but it is so difficult for me to know how to react towards people/girls who are members of the LDS. For example I won´t know how to behave during a date. The only thing I want is that she will feel comfortable and fine. If you meet a non-LDS girl it would be normal to kiss her on a first date or to hold her hand. How is that in the LDS-community? Are there any rules? I for myself will always follow the law of chastity, but I don´t know what kind of actions are against this law: Of course it means that you should not sleep with a girl before marriage, but what is with kisses, hugs, holding her hand and all this stuff. I just want to act appropriate if she will go out with me. She should have a good time and that is the only thing that matters to me. It would be nice if there is someone out there who can help me. If you are just reading this post and not the whole thread, I will say again that I am from Austria and not a person who learned the English language for his whole life. So I am saying sorry for all the grammatical mistakes.
  11. josh85

    My friend...

    I am not insulted and I defnitely don´t see you as an evil snake. You were just concerned about your friend, but I was a little bit scared: Sometimes I think that all the ward members are watching every step I do, just because I am a new member. And now I read your story. I am just scared of the idea that people could meet the bishop to talk about me, although I am acting just fine. I mean: Some things in life are just private and if you don´t hurt other people everyone should leave you alone. But of course I agree, that everything that has to do with the "gay-topic" is against the law of chastity.
  12. josh85

    My friend...

    I just read this thread and I don´t like it all. Perhaps I am thinking this way because I am just a new member of the LDS, but it seems that you cannot trust even one person in your ward: To read that a "friend" will go to the bishop behind someones back draws the same picture I got in the last few weeks. I don´t have a problem like that person who could be gay, but I noticed, that there are many people in my ward and in other wards too, that you can just compare to evil snakes. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I will always join the sacrament meeting, but I am not able to stand the people anymore. (and I don´t need to, I will just hang out with my wonderful non LDS friends and if they will judge me someday, because I don´t get married in the temple I will ignore them) It is just terrible how arrogant they act in church without any reason. I don´t know why I am responding to this thread in such a rude way, but perhaps that thread was the one drop in a long line of events that makes me really angry. I hope that nobody will feel insulted here, because that is not my intention.
  13. Hello. I would like to say thank you to everyone who gave me an advice. I think that I will try to involve myself more, instead of waiting that I will get someday a calling. Before our Sunday School starts the teacher always asks us, if there is anybody who wants to say something or if anyone has an idea for something. Perhaps I will ask the other brothers if they would like to play soccer someday in the week. We have a nice gym and I don´t know why nobody uses it. Another thing is, that I will read the scriptures everyday, continue to go to church on Sundays and keep my old non LDS- friends together too. So there wouldn´t be such a big problem, if I won´t find so many LDS-friends in church. Perhaps I will make myself a plan with the following aims: - To get a calling before the year is over - To organize some meetings with YSA before the year is over - To find at least one nice person in church I will be able to call a good friend. - To have a few dates with nice female church members. Right now I am very optimistic that I can make it. I mean we are all human beings and we like it to find new friends and new people we like. So I won´t be the only one who feels the same way as I do. So, thank you very much, many of you gave me such a good advice: Exspecially JoshDwellington who lives in France and who understands how difficult it can be to live as a LDS in Europe. And Misshalfaway who has a lot of good ideas that say that I should be a little bit more active and involve myself more. Thank you very much.
  14. Hello, I wasn´t online a lot for the last few days and I would like to say thank you to all the other people who read my thread and who gave me some advice. Sadly we don´t have the chance to stop our studies for a mission. It would be very difficult and not comfortable for all the people, like the student and the professors. So I will think about a mission after my studies, although it would be late to go on a mission with 26. That is the time where you should find a good wife and a job. But I´ll see what will happen. Thanks again to everyone.
  15. Hello, I am a new member of the LDS in Austria. My problem is that there are no church activities during the week. The only ones who think about other activities and not "just" going into church on Sundays are our missionaries. I met them a lot during the week, but it is frustrating, that I am the only member with some investigators who are there. Since I thought about that a little bit, I don´t go there anymore, because I think it is strange, that I am the only member who meets them. A former president said that a new convert needs a calling and a friend in church, but I don´t have both of it. On Sundays I talk a lot to the young adults, but no more things do happen. We see each other at church and that´s it. It is really frustrating, that I don´t have a LDS-friend and that I lost a lot of old friends, because I joined the LDS. On Sundays I always sit next to the missionaries during the sacrament meeting and in the time between the different meetings I always feel lost and uncomfortable. Since a few months I am scared to go to church, because I don´t know where I belong. Every time the missionaries talk about their own home wards and all these active people there and I think that this has to be paradise. It seems that the church in my ward is a little bit strange. There are nearly no activities and so not a chance for a new member to really integrate himself in the ward. So I "only" have the scriptures to study and to become stronger. Perhaps it is my problem, but everything in our ward doesn´t fit the LDS-picture I had. Sometimes I think that the real church with all the people is somewhere else and that my ward in Austria is just a cheap picture of that, like a fake brand. Another thing is that I won´t talk to the bishop about my problems because I was never somekind of a "loser" who doesn´t fit in and has no friends. Of course I still believe in the bible, the book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, but there is not a big will to go to church again every Sunday. I don´t like it to go there to feel terrible, lost and alone. Perhaps there is someone out there who can give me an advice. Before someone will judge me because of my false use of words and grammar, I would like to add that I am not just a new member in Austria, but also a young man from Austria who just learned the English language at school.
  16. To talk about the possibility to go on a mission is a good thought, but I don't have the knowledge of the scriptures already and it would be difficult to represent the church in the right way. There are also studies at university I cannot quit. I will just try not to think all the time about what is appropriate or not. The people in my community are all so nice and so there shouldn't be such a big Problem to ask this wonderful girl out. Perhaps I just thought to much about the whole thing. Thanks to everyone for the advices.
  17. Thank you very much for that. It is really a nice thing to say. @John Doe: I think it will be the first "mission" for me in the next week to find out if she is single. The problem is that our church community is not that big. The members are not very active. So it is very difficult to meet people. There are once in a month or less meetings for young single adults, but most of the time just a few missionaries are around and one or two girls. I just think that it is really difficult to get to know someone if you just see her on Sundays. And to be honest: The Sunday is all about the Lord and nobody should try to talk about getting a date around that time. It seems that everyone lives his life in our community, the only time everyone is there is the Sunday. Not many people show up if there are summer parties, or other nice events. That makes me really sad, because I don´t want to be alone. I always would have the chance to get a girlfriend again if I don´t follow the law of chastity, but that is a crime I would never commit and I would be on the way of the devil, if I would do it. So I just have to wait for the right chances to get to know nice members of the church. It has to be so wonderful to live in Utah or another place in the U.S. because there are so many members. In Austria it is a little bit lonesome and difficult. Older friends make fun of you, a lot things are getting difficult and there are no "new" friends to find, because there are just "hellos" on Sundays and nothing else. But I do not complain, because I know that heavenly father loves us and that he wants us to be happy. About that girl: I suspect, that she will get to know, that I asked someone about the fact if she is single or not. Perhaps she will act strange, but on the other hand it is not a crime to tell someone that you like her. I will let you know if there will be some "progress" this week.
  18. Hello. Like I said by the time I introduced myself, I am 23 years old and I became a member of the church a few months ago. My problem is that there is a girl I really like. She is a member of the church and I think that she was born into the church. ( I never saw a boyfriend or a husband, but I don´t even know if she is definitely single) So I ask myself if it is even appropriate to try to talk to her and ask her out. Although every people at church are very nice, I think that the members won´t like to see it, that a new member tries to go out with an old "since birth" member. Before I became a member of the church I already had relationships, but I don´t know how to talk to girls in the church. Perhaps they don´t even want to get to know me, because I wasn´t born into the church and because I did not live all the time the life a Mormon is expected to live. I just would like to act appropriate and I don´t want that the members think, that I just became a member of the church, because I want to meet girls. Actually I don´t know what to do and so I stay with friends who don´t belong to church. That is very sad, because many girls I know from earlier days are not that nice. I cannot be their boyfriend because they expect things that are against the law of chastity. The thing I want is just a nice girl who belongs to church. A girl I can meet and talk too. I am just scared that other members will think about me in a bad way. ( like "look at him, he is a member since four months and now he wants to meet all the female members") Another thing is that I think that I am not good enough for these girls who are members of the church for such a long time. Probably they won´t take me serious, because I am new and they do expect, that all the new members will be gone after one or two years, because they lost belief in the church. I just don´t know what to do or to say. I am a good person, I have a good education and I treat all the people out there with respect. Perhaps someone can tell me what he or she would think about a new member who wants to go out with a girl who is member for a lifetime. Is it even possible? At the end I would like to apologize for all the grammar mistakes, but I am from Austria and my english is not that good. I also would like to apologize if it was wrong to open a new thread, because there was one with nearly the same topic, but I think my thread is more about the problem, if it is okay, that new members meet "old" members, and how to act as a new member to girls you like.
  19. My name is Joshua and I am 23 years old and I am shortly a member of the LDS. So far I am so happy and I am feeling so good, that I found my connection to God again. It will be interesting for me to read posts of other members and I think I will use this forum sometimes to ask for some advices or help. Sorry for my probably grammatical incorrect use of the english language, but I just got a C+ at school. I also would like to say that this forum is really wonderful. There is so much to read and learn. Best Wishes.